This invention pertains to chairs of the class used for transporting non-ambulatory persons. It pertains particularly to a chair slidable on a rail and used for transporting non-ambulatory persons into and out of a bathtub or stall shower.
In the care of non-ambulatory persons, a problem is presented in providing a bath facility which may be used without requiring the attendant to lift the person, possibly subjecting the attendant to a physical strain which he is not able to bear. It also is difficult to provide a bathing facility which enables the person to bathe himself efficiently, both fore and aft, without subjecting him to fatigue or the hazard of slipping and falling.
It is the general purpose of the present invention to provide such a facility in the form of a swiveling chair which slides on a rail and therefore may be used to transport the person into or out of the bathtub or shower stall and which when in position enables the patient to bathe himself effectively without outside help.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a rail chair for non-ambulatory persons which is easy to use, which may be used in a variety of situations where it is desired to move the person a stated distance, as to and from a table, chair, patio, or other location; which may be used in a shower where it is wetted completely with water, without danger of corrosion or mechanical failure; which is self-lubricating without the application of grease, which will not soil or injure the person using it; and which eliminates the necessity of requiring the attendant to lift the non-ambulatory person with possible danger to both parties.
The foregoing and other objects of this invention are accomplished by the provision of a rail chair assembly comprising in combination a rail, leg means on each end of the rail for supporting the same in a substantially horizontal position, a slide on the rail, a chair seat, and pivotal mounting means rotatably mounting the seat on the slide.
The slide on the rail includes bearing means of self-lubricating plastic such as Nylon or Teflon which accordingly eliminates the necessity of applying outside lubrication. The pivotal mounting means also embodies bearings of self-lubricating plastic so it, too, is relieved of the necessity of applying external lubrication.
The legs supporting the rail, one on each end, are designed so that one leg may be placed in a location difficult of access, for example, a bathtub or shower stall, while the other leg is designed to impart stability to the assembly. The legs are provided with casters or glides which permit moving the assembly easily from place to place, either when occupied by the non-ambulatory person, or when the chair seat is empty.